Ladies’s faculty basketball has seen exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. With the increased acceptance and commercial good results of your sport, specifically in NCAA Division I packages, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the value and Management these top-tier coaches bring for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest in their women’s athletics departments, a handful of standout coaches are reaping the financial rewards that include setting up powerhouse courses.
Listed here’s a consider the five best-paid out Ladies’s college or university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their spectacular salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold conventional in Girls’s university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has created South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact taking over This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Closing Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million agreement, earning her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college or university basketball background. That offer has because been restructured and extended with overall performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of this checklist.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual Wage: $2.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to a jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has reworked This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball record—Males's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable overall performance have ensured worthwhile deal renewals. His present-day deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing promotions, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Though UConn has confronted the latest challenges with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management retain his benefit superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Salary: $two.seven million
Immediately after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball entire world by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second time While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival came having a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million contract, building her considered one of the very best-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Ladies's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Wage: $1.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of consistency at Maryland because taking over in 2002. With numerous meeting championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in national rivalry for over 20 years.
Her lengthy-time period effect and development of prime-tier talent have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her recent offer contains bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student advancement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is M88 don't just considered one of the very best-paid coaches and also the winningest coach in NCAA women's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has never been just one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Among the many all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Switching Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective of the rising level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting much more national TV deals, ticket income are growing, and company sponsors have gotten a lot more invested in Ladies's sporting activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not simply an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their programs and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at the moment lead the way concerning earnings, various Other folks are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each individual of those coaches has produced sizeable strides with their respective packages and could split into the major five in the approaching a long time as women's basketball carries on to develop.
Closing Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity proceeds to increase in recognition and aid, we could assume these salaries—plus the profiles of those leaders—to continue climbing.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the tempo for the future of aggressive sporting activities.